Description
Index-Galena Road is located along the Skykomish River in the Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest in southeast Snohomish County. During a storm event in the spring of 2011 a landslide occurred at mile post 5.8 outside the Town of Index. The landslide was approximately 160 feet along the roadside shoulder.
During 2014 a Public Works project stabilized the roadway embankment with construction of a 160-foot long by 40-foot wide railroad buttress. A railroad ballast foundation was installed with layers of geogrid to provide stability. Several finger drains (trench drains) were constructed of railroad ballast (rock) at the base of the proposed buttress to help direct water away from the slide. The slope was covered with mulch and topsoil, and seeded with a native planting mixture.